- 1subservient (to somebody/something) (disapproving) too willing to obey other people The press was accused of being subservient to the government. She did not want to leave him, but she could not accept her subservient role.
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- 2subservient (to something) (formal) less important than something else The needs of individuals were subservient to those of the group as a whole. Every consideration was subservient to the overriding need to cut costs.
NAmE//səbˈsərviəns//
noun [uncountable] his subservience to his brotherSee subservient in the Oxford Advanced Learner's DictionaryCheck pronunciation: subservient